'CSIS Speech' President Lee: "Aides Were Once Concerned, But the Outcome Was Very Positive"

Revealed at CSIS Discussion
"Received Much More Understanding and Encouragement Than Expected"

President Lee Jaemyung stated on the 25th (local time) that although his aides were concerned about the possibility of negative developments during his summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, he was confident that such issues would not arise.

President Lee made these remarks during a conversation with John Hamre, president of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), after delivering a lecture at the U.S. think tank that afternoon. He said, "President Trump posted a very threatening message on social media, and during a morning press conference, he mentioned that the South Korean government had conducted a raid on a U.S. military base, saying, 'We need to look into this.' This led to concerns among my aides that the summit might unfold like the 'Zelensky-Trump' meeting."

Earlier that morning, about two and a half hours before the summit, President Trump posted on social media, "What is happening in Korea? It looks like a purge or a revolution." President Lee explained that his aides were worried the summit might take a turn similar to the difficulties faced by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during his meeting with President Trump.

However, President Lee said, "I knew that this would not happen because I had read President Trump's book, 'The Art of the Deal.' In the book, he wrote that while he may present conditions that are difficult for the other party to accept, he ultimately does not force unreasonable conclusions." He added, "He demonstrated this approach in the current negotiations as well. The South Korea-U.S. alliance is extremely important, so I was confident that no serious harm would be done."

President Lee evaluated the outcome of the summit as very positive. He said, "The conversations during the meetings and meals were conducted in a very serious and cooperative manner. We discussed, reached understanding, and received encouragement on far more issues than we had expected." He also mentioned that the talks lasted longer than scheduled.

President Lee further stated, "Everyone advised me to be patient," to which Hamre responded, "I'm glad it was a good meeting."